Truthdig and IWMF Join Forces for ‘Global Voices’ Project

Posted on Jun 24, 2014

From left to right: Elisa Lees Munoz, executive director of the International Women’s Media Foundation, and Zuade Kaufman, co-founder and publisher of Truthdig, meet in Washington, D.C., on May 21. Lisa Nipp Photography

On Monday, Truthdig launched a new initiative, Global Voices: Truthdig Women Reporting, marking the occasion with the publication of an inaugural story, “How the Women of Pakistan Cope With War, Honor Killings and Prejudice,” by Pakistani journalist Zubeida Mustafa.

That evening, USA Today published an article about the project, featuring interviews with Truthdig Publisher Zuade Kaufman and IWMF Executive Director Elisa Lees Munoz. Rem Reider gave the venture a powerful sendoff in his write-up, “A Global Platform for Bold Journalists.”

The project, a collaboration between Truthdig and the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), was created to support and promote the work of women journalists from around the globe, many of whom take extraordinary risks to tell the stories we’d never hear if it weren’t for their determination to get at, and get out, the truth.

Along with Mustafa, seven other accomplished female journalists from Azerbijan to Zimbabwe will lend their talents to the initiative. Take a look at the (growing) lineup of international correspondents here.

Global Voices: Truthdig Women Reporting will also offer a new generation of reporters the opportunity to hone their skills with the help of experienced mentors from their countries. The eight journalists selected for the project will be kicking off that aspect in addition to writing their own pieces.

The originating idea for Global Voices, along with the initial group of correspondents, came from the IWMF’s Courage in Journalism Awards, which has recognized 79 trailblazing women in the field, along with 22 lifetime achievement honorees, since 1990. Some, like Marie Colvin and Anna Politkovskaya, were killed working in conflict zones, while many others were persecuted and detained but not deterred.

In many senses, Global Voices: Truthdig Women Reporting represents Truthdig’s mission as a platform for uncompromising journalism and underreported stories with global impact. We’re proud to have the chance to work with the IWMF and the inspiring group of women writers who will shed light on the subjects and challenges that they most want to cover about their homelands—in their own words.

Click here to support the women of Global Voices with a tax-deductible donation.